Container having a bactericidal insert

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a container ( 10 ) for storing and dispensing a fluid product, having a body ( 12 ) delimiting a volume in which the product is held, and having a dispensing end piece ( 14 ) through which the product is intended to exit the container ( 10 ),  235  and having at least one insert ( 16, 18, 36 ) situated in the internal volume of the body ( 12 ), which is in contact with the fluid product and which comprises at least one bactericidal material, characterized in that the at least one insert ( 16, 18, 36 ) is made entirely of the bactericidal material.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to a container for storing and dispensing a fluidproduct such as for example a cosmetic product, which is designed tolimit potential proliferation of bacteria in the fluid product.

More specifically, the invention proposes a container having means forsubstituting chemical additives.

PRIOR ART

Numerous fluid products, such as for example cosmetic products, arecontained in hermetically sealed containers, to avoid any oxidation ofthe product and to avoid contamination of the product by bacteria forexample.

Such containers notably have a flexible or rigid body, the walls ofwhich are hermetically sealed to air and to any other type of pollutant,and an end piece for dispensing the product.

In order to avoid oxidation of the product, the container comprises adispensing end piece which is designed to only allow the product toexit, which is then referred to as an “airless” type end piece. Such anend piece is designed to open in the direction the product exits and toclose automatically as soon as the desired amount of product has exited.

The container is then designed to be deformable and compressible as theproduct is withdrawn. Indeed, by applying pressure on the walls of thecontainer a pressure is formed within the container, causing the productto exit.

The document FR-A-3.011.826 describes an “airless” type dispensing endpiece, which makes it possible to prevent any contamination of productremaining inside the container, whether when a certain amount of theproduct is made to exit the container, or instead when a user withdrawsthe exited product.

Thus, numerous solutions exist to protect the product against potentialcontamination coming from outside the container.

The preservation of the product as such, inside the container, isachieved by the use of preservative compounds such as for exampleantioxidants, anti-mold agents, bactericides, virucides, or anti-fungalagents.

Such compounds may have a harmful effect, notably when the product inwhich they are used is a cosmetic product intended to be applied on theskin.

That is why it has been proposed to market products not having suchcompounds. To ensure a good shelf life, it has then been proposed totoughen the hygiene and sterility conditions of production sites, whichproves to be particularly complex and costly to implement.

The aim of the invention is to propose a container that is designed tolimit the proliferation of potential polluting elements in the productthat is contained inside the container.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention proposes a container for storing and dispensing a fluidproduct having a body delimiting a volume in which the product is held,and having a dispensing end piece through which the product is intendedto exit the container, and having at least one insert situated in theinternal volume of the body, which is in contact with the fluid productand which comprises at least one bactericidal material, characterized inthat said at least one insert is made entirely of the bactericidalmaterial.

The presence of an insert composed of bactericidal material in theinternal volume of the container makes it possible to place the productstill present in the container in contact with said bactericidalmaterial.

The various manipulations of the container to withdraw the product makeit possible to achieve mixing of the product, in order to increase theproportion of product that comes into contact with the insert

Preferably, said at least one insert is made of another material whichis entirely covered by said bactericidal material.

Preferably, said at least one insert consists of at least one bead whichis free to move within the internal volume of the body.

Preferably, said at least one insert consists of a porous or perforatedelement that is capable of being passed through by the fluid.

Preferably, said at least one insert consists of a grid.

Preferably, said at least one insert is arranged between the dispensingend piece and the internal volume of the body.

Preferably, the insert forms a sheet which extends in a median mainplane of the body.

Preferably, said at least one insert covers at least in part the innerwalls of the body.

Preferably, said at least one insert is made of a material selected fromcopper and silver.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will become clearon reading the detailed description that follows, for the understandingof which reference should be made to the appended figures, among which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic representation in lateral view of a container fora fluid product having two inserts according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a section of the container represented in FIG. 1, along amedian vertical main plane thereof; and

FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of another container having aninsert according to an alternative embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PARTICULAR EMBODIMENTS

In FIGS. 1 and 2 a container 10 for containing a fluid or liquid productis represented. This product may be for example a cosmetic cream or agel.

The container 10 has a hollow body 12 which is here of lengthened shape,and it is obtained from a cylindrical tube of which a lower end 12 a isflattened to close it. According to the embodiment represented in FIGS.1 and 2, the body 12 is made of a flexible material, such as a plasticmaterial. It may also be made of a ductile, easily deformable material.

The container 10 also has an end piece 14 for dispensing the product,through which the product is intended to be withdrawn by the user.

According to the embodiment represented in FIGS. 1 and 2, the end piece14 seals the upper end 12 b of the body 12.

Moreover, here, the end piece 14 for dispensing the product is an endpiece which only allows the product to exit, that is to say that itprevents anything from penetrating inside the internal volume of thecontainer 10, whether it is a certain amount of the product which couldhave exited the container, or instead air.

This end piece 14 is an end piece of the so-called “airless” type. Ithere consists of an end piece such as described in the documentFR-A-3.011.826 to which reference may be made for more details on thestructure or operation.

Thanks to this end piece 14, the internal volume of the container 10 is100 isolated from the exterior and more particularly from any pollutingelement that could cause oxidation or contamination by bacteria of theproduct present therein.

It may be that contamination of the product occurs before the first usethereof, for example during the process of manufacturing the product, orinstead while it is being introduced into the container 10, despite thenumerous precautions that may be put in place on site.

To avoid any proliferation of this contamination in the product, thecontainer 10 has at least one insert 16 which is arranged within theinternal volume of the body 12 and which is permanently in contact withthe product contained within the container 10.

The insert 16 is made of a bactericidal material. As non-limitingexamples, the bactericidal material is preferably copper, it may also besilver.

In the case of copper, when it comes into contact with the product, theinsert 16 releases Cu++ ions, which have a bactericidal effect.

According to a first embodiment, the insert is made of another material,such as a plastic material or another metal, which is covered, byplating or by deposition, with the bactericidal material. This notablymakes it possible to reduce the production cost of the insert 16.

According to another embodiment, the insert 16 is made entirely of thisbactericidal material.

According to the embodiment represented in FIGS. 1 and 2, the insert 16is in the form of a substantially flat grid, which extends along amedian main plane of the container.

Here, this median plane is the vertical plane according to theorientation of the figures, which passes through the flat lower end 12 aof the body 12. Thus, according to a particular embodiment, a lower endof the insert 16 is situated at the level of the lower end 12 a of thebody 12 and it is maintained in the body 12 by permanent deformation bycrushing of the lower end 12 a of the body 12, when this lower end 12 aof the body 12 is closed.

The grid shape of the insert 16 makes it possible to increase thecontact surface of the insert 16 with the product contained within thecontainer, which makes it possible to treat a larger amount of product.

According to an alternative embodiment, not represented, the containerhas one or more inserts which are in the form of beads made ofbactericidal material or covered with bactericidal material. These beadsare capable of moving freely within the container, to be able to comeinto contact with the entirety of the product contained therein. Thesebeads further have the advantage of enabling homogenization of theproduct which is mixed by said beads during their movement within thecontainer.

Furthermore, since the walls of the body 12 are flexible, this makes itpossible to mix the product in the container 10 at each manipulationthereof, further increasing the amount of product that comes intocontact with the insert 16, whether it is when it is in the form of onegrid or instead in the form of one or more grids.

According to an alternative embodiment, the container has a secondinsert 18 situated at the level of the end piece 14 for dispensing theproduct.

This second insert 18 is here also produced in the form of a grid basedon bactericidal material, which is modelled into a hopper shape,separating the opening of the end piece 14 from the internal volume ofthe body 12.

Here, the second insert 18 has a cylindrical grid 20 substantiallycoaxial to the vertical main axis of the end piece 14 and a bottom grid22 at the lower end of the cylindrical grid.

Thanks to this second insert 18, product that flows towards thedispensing end piece 14 is forced to pass through the grid constitutingthe second insert 18. This amount of product then comes into contactwith the bactericidal material, which then exerts its action on theproduct.

This makes it possible to dispense product that has been sterilizedbeforehand.

The shape and dimensions of the second insert 18 are defined to make itpossible to treat an average amount of product which is withdrawn ateach use.

In FIG. 3 is represented another container 30 with rigid walls. Forexample, the container is made of glass.

This container 30 here also has a body 32 in which the product is storedand an open dispensing end piece 34. This end piece 34 is capable ofreceiving a cap, not represented, for closing the opening of the endpiece 34.

According to this embodiment, the product is withdrawn directly from theopening of the end piece 34, for example with a finger or an appropriatetool.

This container has an insert 36 provided in the body 32. This insert isalso made of a bactericidal material, as described previously, such asfor example it is made of copper.

In order not to hinder the withdrawal of product, the insert 36 ispressed against the walls of the body 32.

Here, the insert 36 consists of a grid covering the cylindrical wall andthe bottom wall of the body 32. According to an alternative embodiment,the insert consists of a sheet based on bactericidal material, orinstead consists of a layer of the bactericidal material, which isapplied on these walls.

The dimensional characteristics of the grid constituting each insert 16,18, 36 that is to say its pitch and the thickness of each bar, aredefined as a function of the product, notably as a function of itsviscosity.

Such an insert 16, 18, 36 makes it possible to sterilize the productpresent in the container 10 at any moment, and whatever the conditionsof use of the container.

The result is better hygiene and security of use for any user and areduction in the commercialization costs of the product in such acontainer since the hygiene constraints of the production site may berelaxed.

The container 10, 30 has been described as containing a cosmeticproduct. It will be understood that such a container may be used for anytype of fluid product, whether for a cosmetic product, a pharmaceuticalproduct or a food product notably.

Also, it has been mentioned above that the material constituting theinsert 16 may be copper or silver. It will be understood that these twomaterials are non-limiting examples of the invention and that eachinsert 16 may be made of an alloy of one and/or the other of these twomaterials or instead of any other material or alloy having bactericidalproperties and which is also chemically compatible with the fluidproduct intended to be contained within the container.

1. Container (10, 30) for storing and dispensing a fluid product, havinga body (12) delimiting a volume in which the product is held, and havinga dispensing end piece (14, 34) through which the product is intended toexit the container (10), and having at least one insert (16, 18, 36)situated in the internal volume of the body (12), which is in contactwith the fluid product and which comprises at least one bactericidalmaterial, characterized in that said at least one insert (16, 18, 36) ismade entirely of the bactericidal material.
 2. Container (10) accordingto claim 1, characterized in that said at least one insert consists ofat least one bead which is free to move within the internal volume ofthe body (12).
 3. Container (10, 30) according to claim 1, characterizedin that said at least one insert (16, 18, 36) consists of a porous orperforated element which is capable of being passed through by thefluid.
 4. Container (10, 30) according to claim 3, characterized in thatsaid at least one insert (16, 18, 36) consists of a grid.
 5. Container(10) according to claim 3, characterized in that said at least oneinsert (18) is arranged between the dispensing end piece (14) and theinternal volume of the body (12).
 6. Container (10) according to claim3, characterized in that the insert (16) forms a sheet which extends ina median main plane of the body (12).
 7. Container (30) according toclaim 3, characterized in that said at least one insert (36) covers atleast in part the inner walls of the body (12).
 8. Container (10, 30)according to claim 1, characterized in that said at least one insert(16, 18, 36) is made of a material selected from copper and silver.